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Looking for a caring and professional dental practice? We’re excited to welcome new patients to our clinic! Whether you’re due for a check-up, need treatment, or are looking to enhance your smile, our friendly team is here to help.
Contact us today to book your first appointment—we look forward to meeting you!

Wisdom teeth

Wisdom teeth are molars which are the last adult teeth to develop in the mouth. Most people have four wisdom teeth at the back of the mouth — 1 in each corner.

They usually start to appear in gums in late teens, early twenties, but it can also be quite common to appear later. By this time, there are already 28 adult teeth in the mouth and so the development of wisdom teeth can often be impacted by restricted space, causing problems as they grow. Wisdom teeth can sometimes emerge at an angle or get stuck and only partially emerge. Teeth that grow through like this are known as impacted.

When to see a Rowcroft Dental Centre dentist

Impacted wisdom teeth don't always cause symptoms. However, when an impacted wisdom tooth becomes infected, damages other teeth or causes other dental problems, you may experience some of these signs or symptoms:

Red or swollen gums
Tender or bleeding gums
Jaw pain
Swelling around the jaw
Bad breath
An unpleasant taste in your mouth
Difficulty opening your mouth

As with any teeth problems, if you are experiencing any of these symptoms it's important to book an appointment at Rowcroft Dental Centre to see a dentist as soon as possible, rather than waiting for routine dental health review.

What can I do to help relieve the discomfort of wisdom teeth?

A mouthwash of medium-hot water with a teaspoonful of salt will help to reduce gum soreness and inflammation. Swish the salt water around the tooth, trying to get into the areas your toothbrush cannot reach. Do this several times a day.

An antibacterial mouthwash containing chlorhexidine can also reduce the inflammation. Pain-relieving tablets such as paracetamol or ibuprofen can also be useful in the short term, but talk to us at Rowcroft Dental Centre if the pain continues.

Why are wisdom teeth removed?

If your wisdom teeth are impacted but not causing any problems, you don't usually need to be remove them. This is because there's no proven benefit of doing this and it carries the risk of complications.

Sometimes, wisdom teeth that have become impacted or haven't fully broken through the surface of the gum can cause dental problems. Food and bacteria can get trapped around the edge of the wisdom teeth, causing a build-up of plaque, which can lead to several problems in the mouth:

  • Damage to other teeth. If the wisdom tooth pushes against the second molar, it may damage the second molar or increase the risk of infection in that area. This pressure can also cause problems with crowding of the other teeth or require orthodontic treatment to straighten other teeth.
  • Cysts. The wisdom tooth develops in a sac within the jawbone. The sac can fill with fluid, forming a cyst that can damage the jawbone, teeth and nerves.
  • Decay. Partially impacted wisdom teeth appear to be at higher risk of tooth decay than other teeth. This probably occurs because wisdom teeth are harder to clean and because food and bacteria get easily trapped between the gum and a partially erupted tooth.
  • Gum disease. The difficulty cleaning impacted, partially erupted wisdom teeth increases the risk of developing a painful, inflammatory gum disease in that area.

Many of these problems can be treated with antibiotics, antiseptic mouthwash and a good oral hygiene regime.

Wisdom teeth removal is very common, but usually only recommended when other treatments haven't worked.

How are wisdom teeth removed?

If your Rowcroft Dental Centre dentist recommends removing your wisdom teeth, they'll take an X-ray of your mouth to help them determine who should carry out the procedure. Your dentist may remove your wisdom teeth, or they may refer you to a specialist surgeon for hospital treatment.

Before the operation, we’ll fully explain the procedure to you.

A local anaesthetic injection is usually given to numb the area around the tooth. You'll feel some pressure just before the tooth is removed, as your dentist or oral surgeon needs to widen the tooth socket by rocking the tooth back and forth.

A small cut in the gum is sometimes necessary, and the tooth may need to be cut into smaller pieces before it's removed.

It takes anything from a few minutes to 20 minutes, or sometimes even longer, to remove a wisdom tooth.

After your wisdom teeth have been removed, you may have swelling and discomfort, both inside and outside your mouth. Occasionally, some mild bruising is also visible. This is usually improves after 3 days, but it can take up to 2 weeks. If this continues for longer, or progresses, please get in touch with the team at Rowcroft Dental Centre as soon as possible.

Prevention

You can't keep an impaction from occurring but keeping your regular dental appointments for cleaning and reviews enables your dentist to monitor the growth and emergence of your wisdom teeth. Regularly updated dental X-rays may indicate impacted wisdom teeth before any symptoms develop.

If you have any concerns about your wisdom teeth, or are experiencing any pain, give us a call on 01453 750778 or 01453 764762.

Patient Reviews

People are talking about us

The biggest complement we receive is when our patients refer their friends and family to Rowcroft Dental Centre. In fact, we have built much of our practice on these valued, trusted recommendations over the years. Read our reviews to hear why our patients are recommending us…

Patient reviews

399 Reviews

5.0
JR

John Rodgers

An exceptional all round service. Dimitri and Rebecca whom l saw are both trained to the highest standard, the quality of service is excellent thankyou.

PD

Penny Dennis

Dentist and hygienist both excellent. Friendly, professional and thorough. Receptionists very efficient and helpful. Wouldn’t go anywhere else.

15th June 2025

My appointments were pretty much on time, and all of the staff are both helpful and respectful, as well as highly competent.

14th June 2025

Excellent all-round care and attention

14th June 2025

Ease of booking appointments, short waiting times, pleasant staff and all round good experience.

13th June 2025

I thought that the professionalism of the Dentist and the staff was exemplary.

13th June 2025

Dentist, hygienist and their assistants are excellent, as are reception staff. Written communication has developed a sales oriented tone which is not my preference.

13th June 2025

As a new member/patient at Rowcroft I’ve only had consultation and seen the hygienist. My tether were in poor condition and the prognosis wasn’t great. However, in just three visits and following all the advice I am now in a much better position. I am one very grateful customer indeed. Lisa Rodway is excellent!

13th June 2025

Staff are always friendly and courteous and I found my conversation with the clinician reassuring. I have been a patient at this clinic for over 25 years and am satisfied that the team are all doing their best to help me look after my gums as I suffer from gingivitis.

AE

Alison Eamer

Professional and friendly service as always

KK

Kristy Kitchen

I've been using this practice for many years through a very reasonable private dental plan. Very well managed! They are excellent with nervous patients.

12th June 2025

Everyone, so helpful

11th June 2025

Professional but also personal.

11th June 2025

Always courteous and respectful

11th June 2025

I have a patient at this dentist for over 20 years I have always suffered with anxiety as far as dentist are concerned But have always found Mr House and Lisa my hygienist always makes me feel relax and comfortable during my treatment

ST

Steve Townsend

Consistently excellent!

KS

Kelvin Smith

Another good experience at Rowcroft today. Painless hygienist too. Thanks!

8th June 2025

The dental hygienist takes great care to cause me minimum discomfort during the process, listens thoughtfully to any issues I might have and explains carefully anything I need to be aware of in my teeth care at home. My dentist also listens attentively to any issues and is considerate in his explanations of what's happening; he never patronises me and always makes me feel like I am an equal partner in my dental care.

8th June 2025

. Staff friendly understanding and the practice well organised

7th June 2025

Always friendly and efficient. I have confidence in what they are doing and they seem to excel in their jobs. I thought about changing dentist when I moved house but I like them too much! So, I'm staying.

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